Aberlour

In 1879 the distillery was built near the Lour stream by James Fleming. During his time the Aberlour distillery was the most modern distillery at the time.

Information about the Distillery
360 Bottles
Scotland, Speyside
-3.230082 57.467338
Active
Pernod Ricard
12 t
1826
3,500,000 l
http://www.aberlour.com/
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
Calculated from 3,085 Tasting Notes
i
Nosing
Fruit:
Sherry:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Spices:
Spices:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Caramel:
Orange:
Orange:
Oak:
Oak:
Caramel:
Nuts:
Honey:
Honey:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Chocolate:
Malt:
Chocolate:
Malt:
Nuts:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Berries:
Berries:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Pear:
Pear:
Plum:
Plum:
Floral:
Floral:
Peach:
Peach:
Peat Smoke:
Apple:
Apple:
Herb:
Herb:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Oil:
Oil:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Strawberry:
Strawberry:
Grape:
Grape:
Clove:
Clove:
Cake:
Cake:
Heather:
Dark Chocolate:
Heather:
Dark Chocolate:
Tropical Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Fig:
Fig:
Leather:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Leather:
Date:
Barley:
Date:
Barley:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Pineapple:
Pineapple:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Hazelnut:
Chili:
Hazelnut:
Walnut:
Chili:
Walnut:
Nutmeg:
Nutmeg:
Mint:
Coffee:
Mint:
Coffee:
Black Currant:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Black Currant:
Banana:
Banana:
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit:
Green Apple:
Green Apple:
Lime:
Lime:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Seaweed:
Seaweed:
Hay:
Melon:
Red Currant:
Coconut:
Wheat:
Melon:
Red Currant:
Wheat:
Hay:
Coconut:
Grass:
Kiwi:
Kiwi:
Rye:
Rye:
Salt:
Grass:
Salt:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sweet:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Spices:
Fruit:
Spices:
Oak:
Oak:
Nuts:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Oil:
Oil:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Herb:
Herb:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Vanilla:
Malt:
Vanilla:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Honey:
Honey:
Malt:
Nuts:
Ginger:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Ginger:
Orange:
Orange:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Berries:
Berries:
Peat Smoke:
Apple:
Peach:
Apple:
Peach:
Plum:
Plum:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Alcohol:
Alcohol:
Herbs:
Chili:
Pear:
Pear:
Chili:
Herbs:
Clove:
Clove:
Date:
Date:
Tropical Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Nutmeg:
Nutmeg:
Cake:
Cake:
Floral:
Hazelnut:
Floral:
Coffee:
Fig:
Coffee:
Fig:
Heather:
Heather:
Hazelnut:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Strawberry:
Strawberry:
Grape:
Barley:
Barley:
Grape:
Banana:
Banana:
Peat Smoke:
Lemon:
Lemon:
Lemon Peel:
Leather:
Lemon Peel:
Leather:
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit:
Mint:
Pineapple:
Mint:
Pineapple:
Anis:
Walnut:
Black Currant:
Maritime Notes:
Walnut:
Maritime Notes:
Black Currant:
Coconut:
Tobacco:
Coconut:
Tobacco:
Grass:
Bonfire Smoke:
Green Apple:
Grass:
Bonfire Smoke:
Green Apple:
Salt:
Salt:
Red Currant:
Seaweed:
Ham:
Red Currant:
Seaweed:
Ham:
Wheat:
Lime:
Medicinal Smoke:
Kiwi:
Iodine:
Wheat:
Lime:
Medicinal Smoke:
Kiwi:
Iodine:
Hay:
Hay:
Finish
Spices:
Sweet:
Sweet:
Sherry:
Oak:
Oak:
Spices:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Herb:
Herb:
Nuts:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Oil:
Oil:
Malt:
Malt:
Chili:
Chili:
Nuts:
Zitrus:
Zitrus:
Peat Smoke:
Caramel:
Caramel:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Honey:
Honey:
Orange:
Alcohol:
Orange:
Alcohol:
Dried Fruit:
Dried Fruit:
Herbs:
Herbs:
Peat Smoke:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Tropical Fruit:
Tropical Fruit:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Cherry:
Heather:
Cherry:
Heather:
Leather:
Leather:
Berries:
Plum:
Berries:
Plum:
Tobacco:
Tobacco:
Date:
Clove:
Date:
Clove:
Almonds:
Almonds:
Peach:
Peach:
Hazelnut:
Walnut:
Walnut:
Hazelnut:
Nutmeg:
Nutmeg:
Apple:
Apple:
Cake:
Floral:
Cake:
Floral:
Grape:
Grape:
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit:
Pear:
Mint:
Lemon:
Pear:
Mint:
Lemon:
Grass:
Maritime Notes:
Grass:
Maritime Notes:
Fig:
Fig:
Seaweed:
Pineapple:
Seaweed:
Pineapple:
Hay:
Lime:
Strawberry:
Salt:
Coconut:
Red Currant:
Lime:
Strawberry:
Lemon Peel:
Hay:
Salt:
Coconut:
Red Currant:
Lemon Peel:
Medicinal Smoke:
Black Currant:
Bonfire Smoke:
Banana:
Green Apple:
Medicinal Smoke:
Black Currant:
Bonfire Smoke:
Banana:
Green Apple:
Details about the Distillery

The Whisky

The Whiskies of the Aberlour distillery are usually all sweet with sherry, not smoky and more fruity then spicy. The most famous Aberlours are the Aberlour 10 y.o., the 18 y.o., the 16 y.o. Double Cask and the Aberlour a'bunadh batches. Nearly all of the Whiskies are matured or finished in Sherry or Wine casks. Therefore the Aberlour is a Whisky for the sweeter connoisseur that loves to find the differences between the dark, dried and exotic fruitiness you can find in all the Aberlour drams. It is a true Speyside whisky.

You will also find the Aberlour in a lot of independent bottlings from bottlers like Signatory or Duncan Taylor.

The Production

The Aberlour distillery is an active distillery with two wash stills (21,000 litres) and two spirit stills (15,500 litres).  Nowadays they have a yearly output of about 3.5 million litres. This puts them in the middle to upper section of the biggest Whisky distilleries in Scotland. In 2019 plans are known that Chivas Brothers wants to expand and rebuild the distillery larger. In mid-2020, they received the permits for a new Still House, a Tun Room and a Mash Room.

The water used for the Whisky production comes from the "Burn of Aberlour". This is a river flowing right past the distillery. The water is also used as process water for cooling the alcoholic fumes.

The Pot Stills

The Pot Stills of the Aberlour DistilleryThe Aberlour distillery uses a sum of four pot stills in a double distillation process to produce its new make spirit. With the pear shape, the pot and the conical neck have the classic design. With no constriction or reflux bowls in the neck and the lyne arm facing downwards you would expect a very strong and intense distillery character. So this leads to how fast Aberlour distills its spirits. The sweet and calm character of the usual Aberlour suggests that the Aberlour distillery uses a slow distillation process.

The Malting

The malting on the traditional malting floors was done until 1962. Today Aberlour purchases its mostly unpeated malt from the big malting plants in Scotland.

The Warehouse

The most visited warehouse is the Warehouse Number 1 where you can have a tasting at the end of the tour through the distillery. 

The cask selection at the Aberlour distillery is a very careful mix between Bourbon barrels and a big amount of Sherry casks.

History

In 1879 the distillery was built near the Lour stream by James Fleming. Back then the Aberlour distillery was the most modern distillery of its time.

In 1898 there was a very unfortunate and big fire that destroyed most of the buildings and also most of the Whisky on stock in the warehouses. But Aberlour managed to get through this crisis and rebuilt the distillery shortly afterwards. This was a great chance for Aberlour, because they rebuilt the distillery with the most modern equipment.

In 1973 the Distillery increased production by expanding to four pot stills.

S. Campbell & Sons Ltd bought the distillery in 1945 and were bought themselves by Pernod Ricard in 1975.

The Visitor Centre

You can book two kinds of tours at the distillery "The Aberlour Experience" and "The Founders' Tour". The first is the normal tour with a tasting in the end and the second is the premium tour in which you get to know everything about the distillery including a tasting with 'new make' and Aberlour Whisky at different maturation stages in the casks. You may also just book tastings like the 'Casks from the past' where you get to taste special distillery bottlings. The buildings are all in the old classic style and the shop offers all the Aberlour you will require.

Visitor information

Aberlour Distillery
Aberlour
Banffshire
AB3 9PJ
Tel: +44 (0)1340-881249

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